Police officers have been called to reports of ghosts, zombies, vampires, UFOs and ghouls a dozen times in Cornwall over the past four years - including ghosts trying to steal a man's chips.

According to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) Act request by Devon Live, a total of 38 'paranormal' incidents have been received by the force's 101 and 999 call handlers since 2013 in Devon and Cornwall.

The prevalence of reported ghost sightings by callers in Cornwall was in west Cornwall, with a minority of incidents being reported in east Cornwall.

The FoI request shows that not all occasions have warranted that police officers attend. In fact in Cornwall half the number of ghouls and ghost reports have seen patrol cars take a trip to the caller.

Of the 13 reported cases of paranormal activity in the county, seven were attended by officers and six were not.

Among the reports were calls about vampires drinking their own blood, ghosts trying to break into a house and zombies in the street and, of course, the chips-stealing ghosts of Cornwall.

One woman from west Cornwall called to say ghosts were trying to kill her while a man called to say he would not go into the ambulance because the crew were ghosts.

One caller in west Cornwall reported seeing the ghost of his neighbour while in Devon one person believed he saw a UFO near Devon woods that "shot off into the stars" after hovering over his head.

(Image: Getty Images)

A police spokesman said it was important to remember that all but one of the calls were made by people with mental health issues and one was made by someone who was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The spokesman said: "All but one of the incidents involved individuals with mental health issues and are therefore not indicative of the supernatural or paranormal in Devon and Cornwall."